NEW HAVEN, Conn -- Senior
Thomas Barrows will represent the No. 1 Bulldogs this weekend at
the ICSA Men’s Singlehanded National Championship in Corpus
Christi, Tex. Barrows finished fifth in the
event, known as the Glen S. Foster Trophy, last year and won the
regatta as a sophomore.

This year’s national championship will
be held in the waters of Corpus Christi Bay and hosted by the
southeast collegiate sailing district, known as
SEISA. The event will be sailed in the Laser
Standard, a boat Barrows has sailed often.
Eighteen races are scheduled for the two-day
event. Sailors from around the country won the
right to compete in the event by finishing well in their regional
championship. Barrows won the New England
Singlehanded Championship and will be accompanied to Texas by three
other qualifiers from New England.

Unlike many collegiate regattas, there will be
a practice day in the supplied boats on Friday.
This will give the competitors, many of whom have likely never
sailed out of Corpus Christi Yacht Club, a chance to learn the
venue and its trends. Guidance from the regatta
organizers suggests that winds in late October are usually 10-15
knots, with the possibility of gusts to 20
knots. An early weather forecast indicates the
possibility of storms throughout the weekend.

Racing begins Saturday at 9:30
a.m.

The latest college sailing national rankings
poll was also released on Wednesday. The
Bulldogs maintained their position atop the rankings for the sixth
consecutive week, taking 18 of the 19 first place votes
cast. In second place was Roger Williams
University, who finished directly behind the Bulldogs at last
week’s Schell Trophy.